XII JOLLY ROBIN'S HELPER

 

 

The next morning Jolly Robin¹ told his wife that she would have to do all the work of gathering² the children's breakfast. "You know, my love," he explained, "I have important business to attend to to-day." And before she had time to object he left her.

 

Over near the garden fence he met three plump Robins³ who had flown across the meadow to help him fight Reddy Woodpecker. And soon the four had dropped down into the raspberry patch.

 

Reddy Woodpecker had not arrived. So, while they were waiting Jolly Robin's friends helped themselves to berries. Under the hot sun the fruit had ripened⁴ fast. Finding it both sweet and juicy they ate of it freely. And Jolly Robin could think of no reason why he should not do likewise.

 

By the time Reddy Woodpecker came, all the Robins from over the meadow were feeling so well fed and good-natured that they were in anything but a fighting mood.

 

"Let that Woodpecker enjoy this fruit if he likes it," they said to Jolly in an undertone. "There's more than enough for everybody. And now," they told him, "we must go home, because we have to help our wives feed our children."

 

Off they flew. And Jolly Robin found himself alone with Reddy Woodpecker.

 

"Ahem!" exclaimed Jolly Robin. "It's a fine morning, isn't it?"

 

"Delightful⁵!" said Reddy Woodpecker.

 

"It looks as if you and I were going to have this raspberry patch all to ourselves, doesn't it?" Jolly continued.

 

Reddy Woodpecker agreed with him.

 

"We ought to keep others out of it," said Jolly.

 

Again Reddy Woodpecker was of the same mind as he.

 

"Then this is a bargain!" cried Jolly Robin. "I'll ask you to guard the place alone for a few minutes while I go home and speak to my wife."

 

Reddy Woodpecker grinned as he watched Jolly Robin winging his way homeward.

 

"Humph!" he grunted⁶. "I may as well let that Robin have a taste of these berries. I certainly can't eat them all, nor carry them all home to my family."

 

Jolly Robin found his wife anxiously awaiting his return.

 

"Have you chased that Woodpecker person away?" she demanded.

 

"No, my love," he replied. "I 've made other arrangements. Mr. Woodpecker is working for me now. So of course I don't want to scare him off the farm. He's helping⁷ me at the raspberry patch. He's helping me to guard the fruit. In fact I couldn't have come back to speak to you now if it wasn't for him. He's watching the berries for me now."

 

"Nonsense!" cried Mrs. Robin. "If that Woodpecker person is in the raspberry patch you may be sure he's eating berries as fast as he can."

 

"Only a few!" Jolly assured her. "There's more than enough for our family and his."

 

"How do you know that?" she demanded. "Did you count the berries?"

 

"No!" he replied.

 

"Go back and count them at once!" she commanded.

 

"Yes, my love!" Jolly answered.

 

He really did try to count the berries. But he soon found it to be an impossible task. Reddy Woodpecker ate so many raspberries and carried so many home to his children that Jolly Robin despaired of ever settling upon the correct number.

 

He felt very unhappy over the matter. And he even asked Reddy Woodpecker what he ought to do.

 

"Oh, tell your wife there are a million," Reddy Woodpecker suggested. "If she doesn't believe you, let her count them herself!"

 

"Oh, I couldn't do that," said Jolly Robin.

 

"Well, I say there are a million," Reddy declared. Then he picked and ate another berry. "Now there are nine hundred and ninety-nine thousand nine hundred and ninety-nine," he announced. "Go home and tell your wife I said so."

 

So Jolly Robin went. He went and told Mrs. Robin what Reddy Woodpecker had said.

 

She turned her back on him and exclaimed, "Fiddlesticks!"

1 robin   

n.知更鸟，红襟鸟

参考例句：

• The robin is the messenger of spring.知更鸟是报春的使者。
• We knew spring was coming as we had seen a robin.我们看见了一只知更鸟，知道春天要到了。

2 gathering   

n.集会，聚会，聚集

参考例句：

• He called on Mr. White to speak at the gathering.他请怀特先生在集会上讲话。
• He is on the wing gathering material for his novels.他正忙于为他的小说收集资料。

3 robins   

n.知更鸟，鸫( robin的名词复数 )；（签名者不分先后，以避免受责的）圆形签名抗议书（或请愿书）

参考例句：

• The robins occupied their former nest. 那些知更鸟占了它们的老窝。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》
• Benjamin Robins then entered the fray with articles and a book. 而后，Benjamin Robins以他的几篇专论和一本书参加争论。 来自辞典例句

4 ripened   

v.成熟，使熟( ripen的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• They're collecting the ripened reddish berries. 他们正采集熟了的淡红草莓。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• The branches bent low with ripened fruits. 成熟的果实压弯了树枝。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》

5 delightful   

adj.令人高兴的，使人快乐的

参考例句：

• We had a delightful time by the seashore last Sunday.上星期天我们在海滨玩得真痛快。
• Peter played a delightful melody on his flute.彼得用笛子吹奏了一支欢快的曲子。

6 grunted   

（猪等）作呼噜声( grunt的过去式和过去分词 )； （指人）发出类似的哼声； 咕哝着说

参考例句：

• She just grunted, not deigning to look up from the page. 她只咕哝了一声，继续看书，不屑抬起头来看一眼。
• She grunted some incomprehensible reply. 她咕噜着回答了些令人费解的话。

7 helping   

n.食物的一份&adj.帮助人的，辅助的

参考例句：

• The poor children regularly pony up for a second helping of my hamburger. 那些可怜的孩子们总是要求我把我的汉堡包再给他们一份。
• By doing this, they may at times be helping to restore competition. 这样一来, 他在某些时候,有助于竞争的加强。